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Xi'an Scout - Khartu-al (export model)


WinterDragon

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New ship from Xi'an!  Very interesting concept for movement. Time for the explorers and scouts to re-look at your options!

 

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Xi’an ship design will be focused on a vertical aesthetic and maneuvering jets that can combine to thrust in multiple directions. Gimbaled, larger-than-normal thrusters sit on the four points of a star in the centerline, allowing each thruster unobstructed hemispherical coverage. The Xi’an scout can rotate on all axes and direct four thrusters to the rear or front! Because of this configuration the Xi’an ship has superb linear maneuvering abilities on all axes. This extra maneuverability comes at a cost however. Xi’an ships favor maneuverability over heavy armament or defensive protection.

 

Xi’an Scout Unlocked! The Khartu is the light attack craft of the Xi’An military. Contrary to Human ship design, the Khartu doesn’t have a traditional main thruster, instead featuring an array of maneuvering thrusters on articulated rigs. This design allows for incredible agility, making them the bane of UEE pilots, who bestowed the nickname ‘Quark’ because when all of the thrusters are firing, the ship looks like a spark flying through space. The Xi’an Aopoa corporation also manufactures an export model, the Khartu-al, for sale to human civilians as a dedicated scout/explorer. The export model features the same Xi’an maneuvering rig, but control surfaces modified for human use and a more limited armament. (Designer: Aopoa)

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It's great that the first alien ship will be unlocked at the $23 million stretch goal. The Khartu-al sounds like it will be very challenging and fun to fly. I'm definitely interested in giving it a try. If the Xi'an Khartu/Quark military version is unavailable for humans to buy, then I might have to expand the Vanduul Hunters to also targeting Xi'an and other alien ships for capture. :DB) I expect that a captured Quark will not be insurable, like captured Scythes in-game. But still worth the effort to acquire! :)

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I doubt the funding will reach $23 mil during the 10/10 Livestream. The June Livestream generated less than a million in 24 hours; it was the following 6 days that generated $2 million. That's why I don't think funding will reach $23 mil by Friday. It doesn't really matter, because the stretch goal is just an unlock, no different than the frigate, escort carrier, and battlecruiser unlocks. The $23 mil stretch goal description explained that the Xi'an Khartu-al would simply be an export model ship available to purchase in-game on Day One. I don't think it will be available to buy in the Pledge Store. For all we know it's just an idea ATM, and they don't even have concept art of the Khartu yet (we still haven't seen the bombers yet). It would be spectacular if they showed a pic of the Khartu during the Livetream, but I doubt it. Even if they had a pic to show, revealing during the Livestream might be a mistake, because everyone will scream at them to make it available in the Pledge Store to buy, and the demand might force their hand, similar to how CIG was compelled to add another 50 Idris-P Corvettes after the first 100 sold out in 9 minutes. :D

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Hmm.......why is it that a Starfury from Babylon 5 comes to mind?..................In any light, this will be quite different, very.....interesting. :D

 

I like it.

 

I only wish that they WILL NOT put ANY alien tech (besides lend-lease deals, like the Freelancer). If we have ALL vessels purchaseable by pledge, us little guys that spend less will be stomped on by the guys pouring cash into their accounts, not to mention the fact that it would leave NO more ship-collecting.

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Supposed to be a placeholder artwork in the first place when they didn't have enough ships done up yet. But like Stoff says, who knows? They might take it and develop it further into a proper ship for the game. Alternatively they can draw some inspiration from the design and adapt it to some new Xi'an ship. Time will tell.

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I only wish that they WILL NOT put ANY alien tech (besides lend-lease deals, like the Freelancer). If we have ALL vessels purchaseable by pledge, us little guys that spend less will be stomped on by the guys pouring cash into their accounts, not to mention the fact that it would leave NO more ship-collecting.

 

Each their own opinion of course, but i couldn't disagree more.

I trust CIG to deliver a game that is pretty balanced (i say it like that since no game ever has perfect balance, and at release some stuff might need nerfing/buffing) which does not rely on pay to win, and that the money you put into the ships now is only supporting development and not giving anyone such a big advantage that they could "stomp on people".

 

You can only pilot one ship at a time anyway (weird multi-account structures some people theorize about aside) so i don't see why the collector in me shouldn't get the chance to add a (LTI) Khartu-al to my collection, whilst further helping the development.

 

Also the fact that it's alien tech doesn't mean it will be better than a Hornet or 325a for instance, just different.

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I was watching the Geekdomo´s podcast today and the guys brought up something I nearly forgot when looking at earlier Rihlah IV concept art, Xi´an planet. There are some vertical ships at these images, which don´t necessarily have to be the scout ship we are talking about (it seems that they have one main thruster) but at least they show the style of Xi´an and our scout could be based on, interesting.

 

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  • 1 month later...

I'm not sure that myself. Do you guys think it would be prudent to melt a gladiator for the scout ship? I already have the retaliator, and I bought the gladiator kind of on a whim. I'm thinking it might be kind of a redundant role. Do you think the scout ship would be better buy, in terms of diversifying my fleet and making it kind of all around in the sense. The ships I have are all listed to the left. I've been agonizing over this question for quite a few hours, and I would really appreciate input from my valued fellow imperium members. So, The long and short of it: keep the gladiator or melt the gladiator for the scout ship? Thanks again for the supremely valued advice guys. I certainly love this skill. So happy I found it and join, can't imagine being part of another organization.

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